Jae'Lyn Withers (born December 20, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He previously played for the Louisville Cardinals.
| No. 24 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| League | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | December 20, 2000 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editWithers played basketball for North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina. As a junior, he averaged 20 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, earning Charlotte Observer 4A Metro Player of the Year and I-MECK Player of the Year honors.[1] For his senior season, he transferred to Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.[2] Withers averaged 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game as a senior.[3] He competed for Team Loaded NC on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[4] A consensus four-star recruit, Withers committed to playing college basketball for Louisville over offers from Arizona, Florida, Texas and Texas A&M.[5]
College career
editWithers redshirted his first season at Louisville to focus on gaining strength and weight.[6] On November 29, 2020, he recorded a freshman season-high 20 points and nine rebounds in an 86–64 win over Prairie View A&M.[7] As a freshman, Withers averaged 10.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Freshman Team honors.[8]
He started 15 out of 29 games his sophomore season, averaging 5.8 points per game and was second on the team in rebounding with 4.6 per game. In his junior year, he started 29 out of 32 games on the season and averaged 8.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He led the Cardinals with a 41.7% three-point percentage.[8]
Following the season, he entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal.[9] Withers would ultimately choose to return to his home state and decided to transfer to North Carolina.[10]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Louisville |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
| 2020–21 | Louisville | 20 | 20 | 25.7 | .552 | .381 | .679 | 7.7 | .5 | .9 | .4 | 10.1 |
| 2021–22 | Louisville | 29 | 15 | 18.2 | .410 | .234 | .667 | 4.6 | .6 | .7 | .4 | 5.8 |
| 2022–23 | Louisville | 32 | 29 | 25.2 | .433 | .417 | .735 | 5.3 | .8 | .7 | .4 | 8.9 |
| 2023–24 | UNC | 37 | 3 | 12.4 | .535 | .200 | .714 | 5.3 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 6.1 |
| 2023–24 | UNC | 9 | 7 | 21.2 | .405 | .333 | .780 | 3.6 | .6 | .4 | .5 | 4.2 |
| Career | 127 | 74 | 19.6 | .467 | .333 | .722 | 5.0 | .6 | .6 | .4 | 6.8 | |
Personal life
editWithers was born when his father, Curtis, was 16 years old and a high school sophomore. Curtis played college basketball at Charlotte, where he was an all-conference player, before embarking on a professional career in the NBA Development League and overseas.[11]
References
edit- ^ Lerner, Danielle (June 6, 2019). "'His skill set is crazy': Jaelyn Withers may be Louisville's most underrated freshman". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- ^ Wertz Jr., Langston (August 10, 2018). "Sources: North Meck all-state star Jae'Lyn Withers to transfer to out-of-state school". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- ^ Demling, Jody (November 5, 2019). "Louisville will redshirt freshman Jae'Lyn Withers". 247Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Greer, Jeff (September 9, 2018). "Louisville basketball lands commitment from forward Jaelyn Withers". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Greer, Jeff (September 10, 2018). "Scouting report: What Jaelyn Withers will bring to Louisville basketball". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ McGavic, Matthew (July 27, 2020). "Jae'Lyn Withers Making Significant Strides in the Weight Room". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Rutherford, Mike (November 29, 2020). "Louisville runs away from Prairie View A&M, 86-64". Card Chronicle. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Jae'Lyn Withers – Men's Basketball". University of Louisville Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ Rutherford, Mike (March 20, 2023). "Louisville F Jae'Lyn Withers will transfer". Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Nelson, Hunter (April 11, 2023). "Former Louisville forward Jae'Lyn Withers commits to UNC men's basketball". dailytarheel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ Wertz Jr., Langston (April 20, 2018). "One of nation's top recruits is from Charlotte. Will he play at a local college like Dad?". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved June 27, 2021.